Jeff Bezos wants what is best in life… to crush his enemies and see them driven before him. Late last year Amazon sent shockwaves through the industry after they struck a $250 million deal to develop a Lord of the Rings spin-off / prequel TV series. This was reportedly inspired by a programming mandate from Bezos himself to find “the next Game of Thrones” (ie. blockbuster TV shows with global appeal). Now we are hearing this week that another big budget fantasy series is in the works at Amazon as well. The streaming service is reportedly developing a drama based on the character Conan the Barbarian and the works of Robert E. Howard. Hit the jump for the full scoop.

According to Deadline, Amazon is currently developing Conan, a live-action sword-and-sorcery TV series set in Robert E. Howard’s fictional world of Cimmeria and The Hyborian Age. The project is being spearheaded by Colony co-creator Ryan Condal, who previously wrote the screenplay for Hercules starring Dwayne Johnson. Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones, Altered Carbon) is on board to direct the pilot while Warren Littlefield (Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale) is executive producing.

Conan has appeared on screen several times over the past few decades, most notably being played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a pair of movies in the ’80s. There has been talk of a third Schwarzenegger film called The Legend of Conan, but last we heard, it was all but dead. Jason Momoa also starred in a pretty forgettable reboot in 2011 and there were a couple of animated series that aired in the early ’90s, not to mention, apparently, a short-lived live-action show in 1997 starring Ralf Möller. Do you think it’s time for a big budget Conan TV show?

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Lori Cerny

Why do they need a big budget to run a TV show? It’s not like they need a star to headline, just someone with charisma. All they really need is some dirt, a loincloth, a sword, and a few enemies.

Dirk Gently

“All they really need is some dirt, a loincloth, a sword, and a few enemies.” Why am i picturing Kirk Douglas in my head after reading that?

Although this is one i can’t wait to miss, Amazon do have an amazing new show in ‘Patriot’, Season 2 of which is due this year. It’s incredibly good and i highly recommend it.

1138sw

I think Conan deserves a rebirth! I know this is heresy for some but I never like the Arnold Conan movies and everything following has been bleah.

If they do it in the vein of The Frank Frazetta paintings of Conan then I think a show might have a chance….at least if I was the show’s runner that’s what I would be pushing for.